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"Sunrise at Gull Rock's Ravine, Monhegan Island" an oil on gypsum panel 12 x 16 inches by Michael E. Vermette.

This is one of my favorite views on Monhegan Island. It never gets old and it is very difficult to capture at sunrise in February. The night before, I kept waking up every hour to check my watch just so that wouldn't sleep through the sunrise. I would wake up several times before I finally got up, dressed, and hiked out. On the morning of February 20th, my birthday, I joined another artist and

photographer friend, Troy Sands, for a bite to eat at 4:30 am. By 5:15 we were on our way under head lamp with our packs loaded down as we walked through the snowy village to acquire an early morning's picture at Gull Rock Ravine. We took a short-cut trail that brought us to the back side of Burnt Head and by turning right on coastal trail 1-A , we immediately saw Gull Rock on our left as we made our approach just after 5:30 am. By then we didn't need a head lamp anymore and could see that although the temperature was in the teens there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was going to be a great sunrise that day. One that you could only wish for. I got set up in Gull Rock's ravine near a care size boulder after walking and gazing out over the seascape for the best view. Somehow standing next to this huge 7 foot granite rock gave me sense of warmth and perspective. Besides what I really wanted was the viewer to see Whitehead through the ravine in the distance while feeling cold as though standing in the shadowy foreground of the painting. I wanted the viewer's eye to be immediately propelled into the distant headland that was bathed in warm light, thus giving a sense of hope in the newness of the day. I waited for the most opportune moment when the shadow line hit the left ledge of the ravine before painting it. Shadow lines add to a curious sense of movement that I have always admired and have included in my paintings. 

Michael E. Vermette painting in Gull Rock's ravine in the reflected light of the shadow of Gull Rock at sunrise, Troy Sands photographer.

Shadow lines can also be used as effective tools to lead the viewer into the painting toward the center of interest.  I spent a lot of time getting Whitehead to seem to illuminate by adding "hallations marks" or double complementary colors that are juxtaposed to each other, such as Blue vs. orange and reddish maroon vs viridian green. This makes the headland glow and appear as though the painting has a light of its own. In this case I was not simply copying the light but creating it with color in the painting. Monet used this same technique in his multiple haystack series, particularly in the shadows. It is also a great technique to soften edges giving the greater illusion of the headland appearing farther away. I did not use this technique everywhere because there are some places where I wanted to create the absence of light and an absolute hard edge to emphasis a back-lit silhouette such as the top of Gull Rock to the left of the painting.  I put a lot of color in the snow in the foreground and for the most part wanted the viewer to feel the reflected light on the snow of Gull Rock at the upper left of the painting. As with most great paintings that almost paint themselves from the spiritual power of the seascape, I finished  two hours latter and headed back to the village to recouperate and go out again for another study. That day I became 56 years old and I couldn't think of a better place or moment to start my birthday paintout.

Michael E. Vermette

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